Thriller

"No mere mortal can resist... the e-vil of the Thriller!"

— Vincent Price, Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

A thriller is a genre in visual media and literature which focuses on action, fast pacing, tension, and suspense. The conflicts are usually between desperate heroes and powerful antagonists who outmatch them by a large margin. Frequent location changes, time shortage, and Cliffhangers are extremely common.

Thrillers can overlap with almost any other genre. They are more defined by their plot and devices than by their content. They can be identified by the thrills the work gives to the reader or viewer.

Modern incarnations of Thrillers seem to overlap more and more often with the Horror and Science Fiction genres, leading to a misclassification of all Thrillers as being Horror, Science Fiction, or both.

Not to be confused with either the Michael Jackson album or the old Boris Karloff-hosted anthology series, nor yet the 1970s British anthology series. Although the Michael Jackson music video does slightly fit in.

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Subgenres

• British Conspiracy Thriller
• Conspiracy Thriller
• Genius Thriller
• Paranoid Thriller
• Psychological Thriller
• Puzzle Thriller

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Medium subpages

• Thriller Literature

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Related genres

• Horror
• Mystery Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Spy Fiction

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Tropes often associated with the genre

• Cliffhanger
• Mad Lib Thriller Title
• The Reveal
• Title In: Used to make sure the audience doesn't get confused by frequent location changes.
• The Un-Reveal
• What Cliffhanger

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Examples

Anime and Manga

• AFTERLOST
• Buddy Daddies
• Canaan
• Death Note
• D-Live!!
• The Fable
• High Card
• Kagewani, overlapping with horror.
• The King of Fighters: Another Day
• Love of Kill
• Monster, overlapping with horror.
• Night Head Genesis
• Night Head 2041
• Ultraman
• Under Ninja
• Yami no Aegis

Comic Strips

• Fleep

Film

• 1BR
• 10 to Midnight
• 13 Tzameti
• 21 Bridges
• 22 Bullets, overlapping with Action.
• 28 Days Later, overlapping with Horror.
• .45
• Accident
• L'Accordeur
• Act of Vengeance, overlapping with Crime and Exploitation.
• Acts of Vengeance (2017), overlapping with Action/Martial Arts.
• Adam Chaplin
• The Aggression Scale, overlapping with Action.
• All the Money in the World
• The Ambulance, also a comedy.
• Angel (1984), overlapping with Action.
• Anthropoid, overlapping with historical drama and war film.
• Apartment Zero
• Archenemy
• Atomic Blonde, overlapping with Action.
• Atomic Train
• AWOL-72
• Backcountry - overlaps with Horror.
• Balibo, overlapping with war film.
• Barbarian, overlapping with horror comedy.
• The Bank, overlapping with drama.
• Beast (2022) - overlapping with Action.
• Berkshire County
• Berserk! (1967)
• The Big Doll House
• A Bittersweet Life
• Black Cat Run, is a thriller mixed with action and mystery elements.
• The Black Dahlia
• Black Site
• Black Sunday, overlapping with Action.
• Black Wake
• Black Widow (1987)
• Blooded
• Blood Ransom
• Blood Simple
• Bluebeard (1972)
• A Blueprint for Murder, overlapping with Film Noir.
• Body
• Body of Lies
• The Bourne Series, overlapping with Action.
• The Boy Next Door
• Brake
• Breakdown
• Buried
• Burning Bright
• Cadaver (2020)
• The Call
• The Castle of Fu Manchu
• The Chain Reaction is a thriller mixed with action and Disaster Movie elements.
• Charade
• Chariot
• Circle
• Cleanskin
• The Clovehitch Killer
• Cocaine Bear
• Code 8
• Cold Comes the Night, a crime thriller.
• Cold Sweat
• The Colony (2016): Overlaps with historical drama.
• Coma
• Coming Home in the Dark
• The Commuter
• Confessions of a Psycho Cat
• The Conspiracy, overlapping with Horror.
• Criminal (2016)
• Cry Wolf (1947)
• The Cube series
  • Cube, overlapping with Science Fiction and Horror.
  • Cube 2: Hypercube
  • Cube Zero
• Cut to the Chase
• Dark Asylum
• The Dark Knight Trilogy is a thriller mixed with superhero and neo-noir. Each of the movies qualifies in different ways:
  • Batman Begins fits this genre in the second half of the movie, as the first half focused on Batman's origins.
  • The Dark Knight is a crime thriller throughout the whole movie.
  • The Dark Knight Rises is a thriller mixed with Disaster Movie elements.
• The Day the Earth Caught Fire, overlapping with Disaster Movie.
• Death and Cremation
• Death Machines, overlapping with Action/Martial Arts.
• Death Weekend
• Deep Gold
• Deliverance - overlapping with Action.
• Detonator (2003)
• Don't Breathe
• Don't Hang Up
• Downrange
• Duel
• Elizabeth Harvest - overlapping with Science-Fiction.
• Eloise
• The End We Start From
• Escape Room (2017) - overlapping with Horror.
• Escaping Dad
• Eternal - overlapping with Horror.
• Even Lambs Have Teeth - overlapping with Horror.
• Everly- overlapping with Action.
• Exit (2019) - overlapping with comedy and Disaster Movie elements.
• Exit 0
• Ex Machina, - overlapping with Science-Fiction.
• The Face of Fu Manchu
• Fair Game - overlapping with Action.
• Faster - overlapping with Action.
• Fall
• Fatale
• Femme Fatale
• Final Girl - overlapping with Action.
• Flareup
• Force of Nature: The Dry 2- overlapping with Mystery
• Freeway - overlapping with Comedy.
• Friend of the World - overlapping with Horror.
• Frozen (2010) - overlapping with action.
• Getaway Plan
• The Ghost and the Darkness - overlapping with Action.
• Ghost Lab (2021)
• The Gift (2015) a Psychological Thriller
• Glasshouse - Overlapping with Science-Fiction.
• Goliath Awaits
• The Good Doctor (2011)
• Good Neighbors
• A Good Woman is Hard to Find
• Grandpa's Psycho
• The Grey, overlapping with Action/survival
• The Guest , overlapping with Mystery and Action.
• Hard Candy
• Harlequin
• Heat
• Heatwave (2022)
• Hell Drivers
• Hidden
• Highwaymen
• The Hit List
• Hit Team
• Horrorvision
• Hounds of Love
• The Hunt for Red October
• The Hunted (1995)
• The Hunter
• The Immortals, overlapping with Action.
• The Incident
• Infamous (2020)
• Into the Grizzly Maze
• Intruders
• I Saw What You Did
• The Island (1980)
• Jacob's Ladder, overlapping with horror.
• Jackdaw
• Jack's Back, overlapping with Supernatural Thriller.
• Jack the Ripper (1976)
• Jigen Daisuke (2023)
• John Doe: Vigilante
• Joshuu Sasori, overlapping with Crime.
• Julia X, overlaps with Horror.
• Juncture
• Jurassic Park
• Kalifornia
• Kimi
• Knock at the Cabin
• Leave the World Behind, a horror-thriller overlapping with drama.
• The Lesson
• Level 16
• The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
• Little Woods
• The Loft
• A Lonely Place to Die
• Low Tide
• Kild TV
• Killer Under the Bed
• Kindergarten Cop, overlapping with comedy.
• Kisapmata
• Kruel
• The Mad Magician
• Mako (2021)
• Man on Fire (1987)
• Man on Fire (2004)
• Man Vs, overlapping with science fiction and horror.
• Masquerade (2021)
• The Matrix, overlapping with Cyberpunk.
• Men at Work (1990)
• Mesrine
• M.F.A.
• Mom (2017), a crime thriller overlapping with drama.
• Money Monster
• Monster Party, overlapping with horror.
• Naked Fear
• The Negotiation
• Nemesis Game
• Nerve
• New Town Killers
• Night After Night After Night
• The Night of the Hunter, overlapping with Crime and Horror.
• No Escape (2015)
• No Good Deed (2002)
• No Tears for the Dead
• Numb
• The Occupant
• Open Grave, overlapping with Horror.
• Panic Room
• Paranoid (2000)
• Parasite (2019), overlapping with Dramedy.
• Pathology
• Perfect Assassins, overlapping with Action and Mystery
• The Phantom Express (1932), overlapping with Mystery.
• Pitch (2009), overlapping with Fantasy.
• The Playground (2017)
• Poison Ivy (1992)
• Poker Night
• The Power (1968), overlapping with Science Fiction.
• Preservation, overlapping with Horror.
• The President's Last Bang
• Prisoners
• The Professional, overlapping with Action and Criminal Procedural.
• The Prowler (1951), overlapping with Film Noir.
• The Purge Universe
  • The Purge, overlapping with Horror and Science Fiction.
  • The Purge: Anarchy
  • The Purge: Election Year
  • The First Purge
  • The Forever Purge
• The Quiet
• Quick
• Rattle The Cage
• Rear Window
• Red Hill
• Replicas
• Reservoir Dogs, overlapping with Crime And Punishment.
• Resurrection (1999), overlapping with Horror.
• Retribution (2023), overlapping with action.
• The River Wild, overlapping with Action.
• River Wild, overlapping with Adventure and Mystery.
• Rogue (2020), overlapping with Action.
• Rollercoaster, overlapping with Action.
• Rolling Thunder, overlapping with crime, action and Exploitation Film.
• The Room (2019)
• The Roommate
• Runaway Jury, overlapping with Crime and Punishment, and Law Procedural.
• Run for the Sun, overlapping with Adventure.
• The Sadist, overlapping with Horror.
• Safer at Home
• A Score to Settle, overlapping with Action.
• Scream and Scream Again, overlapping with Sci-Fi Horror.
• Sea of Love
• Self Defense
• The Shadow Men overlapping with Science Fiction.
• Shiri
• Shooter
• Shockwave
• Shut In, overlapping with Horror.
• Shuttle
• The Silence of the Lambs, overlapping with Horror.
• Silent Rage
• Siren (2010), a psychological thriller overlapping with horror.
• Sisters of Death
• The Sixth Sense
• Skin Trade, overlapping with Action.
• Sleepers
• Snapshot (1979)
• Sneakers
• The Snowman (2017), overlapping with Horror.
• Soft & Quiet (2022)
• Solace
• Songbird
• Son of a Gun
• Sound of Freedom, overlapping with Action.
• Split
• Stag
• The Standoff At Sparrow Creek
• Stay
• Strangers on a Train
• Striking Distance
• Suddenly
• The Suppressor
• Suspect
• Surveillance
• The Survivalist
• Swamp Shark
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
• Targets
• Tell No One
• Ten Dead Men, overlapping with Action.
• Tesis
• Tetris (2023), overlapping with Biopic.
• The Thieves, overlapping with Action.
• Thane of East County, overlapping with Drama
• Through Black Spruce
• Ties That Bind (2006), overlapping with Drama.
• Ties That Bind (2010), overlapping with Mystery and Crime.
• Tiger House, overlapping with Crime.
• Transit, overlapping with Action.
• The Transporter, overlapping with Action.
• Trap for Cinderella
• Trauma Center (2019)
• Triple Threat (2019)
• Trust No 1
• Unbreakable
• Under the Shadow
• Unthinkable
• Vitals
• Vivarium
• Vows of Deceit - also known as Deadly Matrimony
• Walled In
• Welcome Home (2018)
• White Fire, overlapping with Action
• Widows
• Wild Things
• Winterskin
• The Wolf's Call , overlapping with Drama.
• You Were Never Really Here
• Youth of the Beast

Live-Action TV

• Apple Tree Yard, overlapping with crime/courtroom drama
• Amerika
• Awaken, overlapping with mystery.
• Bosch
  • Bosch: Legacy
• Braquo
• 20 Minutes, overlapping with drama.
• Cleverman
• Colony, overlapping with drama and science fiction.
• The Consultant (2023), overlapping with dark comedy.
• Dare Me, overlapping with drama and mystery.
• Dark Hole, overlapping with science fiction.
• Deutschland 83, overlapping with spy fiction.
• The Devil Judge, overlapping with mystery.
• D.☆P.
• Dublin Murders
• The Enemy Within
• Fauda
• FBI
  • FBI: Most Wanted
  • FBI: International
• The Flight Attendant
• Golden Years
• Halo (2022)
• H/JACK
• Himmelsdalen, overlapping with crime drama.
• The Last Empress, overlapping with mystery and romantic comedy.
• Liar (2017), overlapping with crime drama.
• Locked Up, overlapping with prison drama.
• Medici: overlapping with historical fiction.
• Mouse (2021), overlapping with mystery.
• The Penthouse: War in Life overlapping with mystery and drama.
• Priest (2018), overlapping with supernatural/horror.
• Psychopath Diary, overlapping with comedy.
• Reacher
• Scandal, overlapping with politics and drama.
• Shots Fired
• Snowpiercer
• Spotless
• The Man in the High Castle
• Six
• Skymed
• Tehran
• Tracker (2024)
• Tyrant (2014)
• War of the Worlds (2019)
• Will Trent
• W Two Worlds

Video Games

• Disaster: Day of Crisis
• Fast & Furious Crossroads
• Fox Hunt
• Gods Will Be Watching, a Point And Click thriller with some Science Fiction elements.
• Metal Gear is a series where every installment tries to replicate feel of a thriller movie. Notably, pretty much every game features a nuclear threat, Metal Gear Solid ends with a typical thriller trope where you fight the main villain with your bare hands, and both Solid 1 and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty are based "Die Hard" on an X premise, where you're dopped alone - with no weapons - into a facility overtaken by terrorists.
• Gunpoint attempts to create an interactive noir thriller, dropping the player into a near future town of West Point, which used to be a home of a thriving gun industry - but after a new gun control bill, industry has crashed and burned, and few remaining businesses became extremely ruthless to survive. Notably, the gameplay is based around outsmarting enemies and setting traps for them by hacking electric appliances, and game features mechanics that resemble thriller tropes, like ability to tackle people unarmed (even through a window, several floors down!) or hold them on gunpoint (as the title implies).
• Late Shift
• The Quiet Man
• Blood & Truth

Web Videos

• The Hire

Western Animation

• Hit-Monkey
• The Hollow

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